Judiciary Council Urges UN Action to Free Iranian TV Anchor Held by US

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Council condemned the US move to imprison Marzieh Hashemi, an anchorwoman working for Iranian English-language Press TV, calling for the United Nations’ serious action to secure her freedom.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Council said the way Ms. Hashemi has been arrested in the US and the “violent and humiliating treatment” of her is a brazen example of arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and flagrant violation of freedom of speech.

Pointing to the US government’s dark record of grave crimes against humanity and the blood of thousands of innocent people, particularly children, on Washington’s hands, the Iranian body said such American violation of human rights norms and international humanitarian standards is not surprising.

The statement also called on the self-proclaimed advocates of human rights in Europe, on the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn the inhuman arrest of Ms. Hashemi immediately and unequivocally and to make serious efforts to secure her release.

“The US government is undoubtedly held accountable for all of these illegal, unjustifiable and anti-human rights measures,” the statement concluded.

Marzieh Hashemi was detained in St. Louis, Missouri, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son.

The FBI recently told AP in an email that it had no comment on the arrest of the woman who was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and has worked for Iran’s state television network for 25 years.